Kevin Michael O’Dowd

Kevin Michael O’Dowd

Deputy Chief Counsel to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie

Age: 38

Place of Birth: Morristown, NJ

Where you live: New Brunswick , NJ

First Job: Sacred Heart School in Rockaway, New Jersey. As an eighth grader I was part of the four-student set up team for the weekly parish bingo night.

What it taught me: Complaining about how much work you have to do does not make the work get done any faster. I suppose if I was paid by the hour, rather than a flat rate, I might have had a different view!

Status: Married

Family: wife – Mary O’Dowd

Best advice you could give someone starting out: Be the first person to arrive at work and the last person to leave. Commitment and hard work will be rewarded with opportunities to expand and advance your career.

Kevin Michael O’Dowd is the Deputy Chief Counsel to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

Prior to joining the Christie Administration, Kevin served as the Chief of the Securities and Healthcare Fraud Unit in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.

Over the course of his seven years with the US Department of Justice, Kevin prosecuted various crimes ranging from healthcare, securities and financial fraud matters to cyber-crime and narcotics violations.

As an Assistant United States Attorney, Kevin received numerous awards and honors from a host of federal law enforcement agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the United States Secret Service. Kevin was twice awarded the prestigious Integrity Award from the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as well as the Award for Excellence from the United States President’s Council on Integrity and Efficiency.

Kevin was also honored by the President of the United States in the Oval Office in connection with the successful prosecution of an international child pornography distribution ring which resulted in more than 2,000 arrests worldwide.

Prior to joining the US Attorney’s Office, Kevin spent five years working in NJ state government.

He spent three years as a Deputy Attorney General and two years as an Assistant Counsel to the Governor. Kevin received his BA from The Catholic University of America and his JD from St John’s University School of Law.